When a deposit item is deposited into a financial account (a “payee account”) during a deposit transaction, the financial institution maintaining that payee account does not necessarily want to make funds equal to the deposit amount for the deposit item immediately available. For example, if the funds are made available but the deposit item is ultimately returned (i.e., becomes a “returned deposit item” or “RDI”) because, for example, the deposit item is misrepresented, or the financial account on which the deposit item is drawn (the “drawer account”) does not have sufficient funds to cover the deposit amount, then the financial institution that maintains the payee account may have to incur any liability later associated with that RDI. As an example, if a deposit amount for an RDI is made available to the payee account, there is a chance that the financial institution will not be able to ultimately recover that amount from the payee account and/or the payee because, for example, that deposit amount has already been spent.
In order to guard against this type of liability risk, the financial institution can use a hold decision apparatus to place a hold on the deposit item until the financial institution has had an opportunity, usually hours or days later, to more carefully evaluate the true liability risks associated with that deposit item. However, these conventional hold decision apparatuses typically implement overly simplistic and unduly conservative hold strategies that recommend holds for (and/or place holds on) deposit items that are not ultimately returned. Thus, apparatuses and methods are needed to more accurately assess the true liability risks associated with deposit items in order to substantially reduce the number of holds placed on deposit items that are not ultimately returned.